15 Mobile Commerce Best Practices to Follow in 2025

What mobile commerce best practices are worth to follow? The volume of online sales is constantly on the rise, suggesting that an increasing number of consumers today prefer shopping online to browsing items in brick-and-mortar stores.

For the biggest brands, mobile apps are an important part of their omnichannel strategy for reaching more consumers with innovative experiences. For scrappy startup founders, mobile commerce provides endless opportunities to achieve explosive growth.

Regardless of what you’re selling, if you make your online shopping process easy on mobile devices, you will attract more customers. The data paints a clear picture:

• Over half of all adult internet users buy something online every week.
• The amount of people buying things via mobile devices is now larger than those buying via desktops and laptops.
• In 2024, consumer goods generated US$4.12 trillion in revenue, representing 14.6% growth compared to 2023. 
• Globally, the average person who does online shopping spends more than US$1,600 per year buying consumer goods.
• Growing at a rate of 2% per year, there are 5.78 billion unique mobile phone users in the world as of January 2025, 87% of whom use smartphones.

Companies that jumped onto mobile commerce trends early are generating substantial revenue through this channel. Organizations that don’t offer an easy way to shop on mobile phones in 2025 are missing out a lot.

15 mobile commerce trends to adopt in 2025 and beyond

But wait,” you might say, “we have an app but our customers rarely do mobile shopping through it!”

The good news is, if you have a way to do mobile sales already, you’re well on your way to generating more revenue through this channel.

The bad news is, before you reach that goal, you have to face the most difficult challenge of mobile commerce: turning your app from one among thousands of useless mobile apps out there into one that your customers love at first sight.

In 2025, with easy access to cheap no-code and generative AI solutions, it’s easier than ever to just build mobile apps. If you have a responsive online store, customers can already view it on mobile – just through a browser and not a standalone app. Depending on your mobile ecommerce strategy, mobile websites could potentially be enough to satisfy online shoppers.

Strategy is the key differentiator. Doing mobile commerce half-heartedly and consciously growing your business through it are two completely different things. The latter requires that you implement the top mobile commerce trends that have been developed and documented over the past few decades, then evaluate and implement new ones as they appear.

Standards for mobile commerce are higher than ever and will only get more stringent, so let’s not waste any more time. Here are the best ways to attract and retain more customers in your mobile shopping apps.

Choose the right app type for your mobile commerce growth strategy 

Choosing to build the wrong type of app for your mobile commerce strategy is an easy way to waste your budget. Each type offers different tradeoffs in development speed, mobile user experience, and functionality. 

It can be a complex decision that depends on many factors, an essential one being the mobile shopping behavior of your customers. Here’s a simple rule-of-thumb for when to choose which type:

• Native apps – for the best performance, device integration, and UX, which are mission-critical in areas like banking, gaming, or high-transaction retail
• Web apps – for fastest time-to-market, widest reach, and lowest initial investment
• Hybrid apps – for balancing development speed with the need for native functionality
• Progressive Web Apps (PWA) – for a native-like experience that organically ranks higher in search results

Optimize performance for your app users

Your mobile commerce experience has to be blazingly fast. Every millisecond of delay in your app is costing you potential customers. 

Users keep getting more impatient. In 2016, Google reported that 53% of users left mobile sites when load time exceeded 3 seconds.

In 2025, the benchmark page load time is less than 1 second.

Below are the key performance metrics for mobile apps, their industry benchmarks, and the impact of these metrics on UX and business outcomes from the International Journal of Mobile Computing and Application:

Here are a few fixes to consider first if you’re seeing slow mobile performance:

• Prioritize the critical rendering path by loading essential content first 
• Defer non-critical resources
• Use WebP images with lazy loading for product galleries

Understand users on mobile devices with analytics

Mobile commerce users follow unique interaction patterns. To understand the complete buyer journey, you need granular event tracking that includes:

• Gesture interactions
• Scroll depth
• Session recordings and interaction heat maps
• Performance metrics (crashes, freezes, load times) across device types and network conditions
• Session duration by user segment
• Drop-off points in purchase funnels

It’s easier to improve your mobile shopping experience once you can see exactly where and when shoppers drop off.

Prioritize accessibility for mobile shopping

Mobile commerce applications without proper accessibility considerations exclude millions of potential customers. Plus, more and more jurisdictions require accessibility features to be implemented in mobile apps, so you could be risking legal complications without them.

Accessibility features ensure that all users can navigate, understand, and interact with your mobile shopping app regardless of their abilities or the assistive technologies they use. 

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative requirements:

• Touch target size – interactive elements are at least 9mm × 9mm with adequate spacing between targets
• Screen reader compatibility – proper semantic markup, labels, and ARIA roles for all UI elements
• Keyboard navigation – external keyboard control for users who can’t work touchscreens
• Color contrast – 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text against backgrounds (critical for outdoor usage)
• Flexible text sizing – text resizing up to 200% without loss of content or functionality
• Orientation support – portrait and landscape modes for users with fixed device mounts
• Alternative input methods – voice commands, external switches, other assistive technologies
• Simple gestures – avoid complex multi-touch gestures
• Element consistency – predictable element positioning and behavior across screens
• Descriptive instructions – clear instructions for unique interaction patterns

Develop a strategy for mobile push notifications

In a recent study of the impact of notification frequency on real-world users of retail apps, researchers found that increasing the amount of generic, non-personalized notifications led to an increase in app uninstalls. Push notifications should engage and attract customers, not scare them away.

How to implement effective push notifications for mobile shopping:

• Start with user segmentation based on purchase history, browsing behavior, and lifecycle stage
• Avoid generic notifications; use analytics data to deliver contextually-relevant messages with personalized product recommendations and time-sensitive offers aligned with individual mobile shopping patterns
• Prioritize action-triggered automations (like cart abandonment) over time-based campaigns 
• Include deep links that take users directly to relevant product pages with minimal friction to purchase

Provide intuitive mobile navigation 

Complex, inconsistent navigation drives away customers. Intuitive navigation with a hierarchical structure and minimal learning curve creates a much better experience. In practice, this means features like:

• Persistent bottom navigation on all screens except checkout
• Easy back functionality so users can return to primary sections with one tap
• Always-visible search as it’s one of the most often used navigation elements in mobile commerce
• Properly labeled icons that follow established platform conventions for shopping experiences
• Space efficiency 
• Clear text labels for less obvious functions

Make it easy to search your mobile apps

Mobile commerce demands search capabilities that go beyond basic keyword matching. Great mobile search anticipates user intent and provides results that match what customers actually want – even when they typed an incorrect query.

The ideal mobile search contains features like:

• Predictive functionality – minimizes required typing
• Error tolerance – accommodates imprecise typing 
• Natural language processing – understands conversational queries and synonyms
• Visual search – eliminates text input entirely for visual items
• Search analytics integration – fosters continuous improvement based on user behavior

When implementing search optimization for mobile commerce:

• Start with autocomplete functionality that shows suggestions after just 2-3 characters, reducing the cognitive load of typing long search terms
• Implement fuzzy matching algorithms that account for common mobile typing errors like character transposition, missed spaces, and phonetic variations
• Prioritize recent and trending searches in autocomplete suggestions to capture zeitgeist shopping interests
• Load search results progressively with lightweight preview cards appearing first while full product details load in the background
• Include visual cues in search results like inventory status, ratings, and primary purchase factors to help users quickly scan options

Mobile search is usually the primary navigation method for mobile shoppers who prefer searching to browsing category lists.

Develop a robust offline mode for mobile devices

Inconsistent internet connectivity is still a regular occurrence for many users, especially during commutes or in regions with developing infrastructure.

When smartphone users lose their internet connection, many mobile apps simply crash or display error messages. This can prevent customers from making a purchase. With a robust offline mode, shoppers can continue browsing regardless of network stability.

Useful offline capabilities for mobile commerce:

• Progressive data caching – prioritizes recently viewed categories and products while intelligently managing device storage limitations
• Optimistic UI patterns – show immediate response to user actions (like adding to wishlist) and sync in the background when connectivity returns
• Clear visual indicators – subtly inform users of offline status without alarming them or interrupting their browsing flow
• Offline-to-online transition strategies – automatically resume interrupted purchases when connectivity returns
• Local storage of critical product data – storing data like pricing, basic descriptions, and thumbnail images on-device

Embrace minimalist UI design for mobile devices

Cluttered interfaces overwhelm mobile shoppers. You don’t want customers to miss important information. On small screens, every pixel counts, but most of them should be white space.

Great UI design aims to present only the information that the user needs at each moment of the shopping journey.

To design a minimalist interface for mobile commerce:

• Limit each screen to one primary action to drive conversion
• Use purposeful white space to create visual breathing room
• Establish clear visual hierarchy with size, color, and positioning
• Replace text with universally recognized icons where appropriate
• Break long processes into discrete, manageable steps
• Condense product descriptions to scannable bullet points
• Choose a limited color palette with one dominant accent color
• Simplify navigation by hiding secondary options in expandable menus
• Remove decorative elements that don’t serve functional purposes

Less is more, especially on a 5-inch screen.

Remove friction from authentication on mobile devices

Traditional authentication flows are a frustrating experience, which is why frictionless authentication is one of the most important mobile commerce trends. The goal it helps you achieve is simple, but powerful: don’t interrupt smartphone users when they’re shopping.

Ways to remove friction from the authentication process in your mobile shopping app:

• Offer social login options (Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.) to eliminate manual forms
• Implement biometric authentication (fingerprint, face recognition) for fast, secure access
• Provide guest checkout with the option to create an account later
• Use phone number verification instead of email to speed up authentication
• Delay account creation for first-time users until absolutely necessary (usually at checkout)
• Request only essential information upfront (email or phone should be enough)
• Store authentication tokens securely for seamless future access
• Allow persistent login with appropriate security measures

Apply device-adaptive layouts with mobile-first design

Small screens demand focused design. Large screens welcome richer experiences. Your app needs to provide both at the right times.

Mobile-first design starts with content prioritization. This is best done by starting with the smallest screen, perfecting that experience, and then expanding it for bigger screens.

Basics of mobile-first design:

• Begin with content prioritization and start with the smallest screen first
• Design your smallest breakpoint first, then progressively enhance for larger screens
• Maintain tap targets at least 44×44 pixels to prevent frustrating mis-taps
• Consider thumb zones and make critical actions easy to reach with one hand
• Let content determine breakpoints instead of squeezing content into arbitrary dimensions

As screens grow, users want to see more than just a stretched out version of your smallest interface. Use the additional space to add more value.

Keep optimizing conversion elements in your mobile apps

Every interaction in your mobile shopping app is a conversion opportunity. Research shows that shoppers are more likely to buy on mobile instead of other channels when your app offers:

• Positive customer experiences 
• Speed, security, and user-friendliness
• Consumer participation, flexibility, and quality technology
• Location awareness and interactivity
• Holistic brand experiences
• Social and emotional value

When it comes to conversion, a simple fix can make a huge difference. For example, if customers need to scroll to reach the “Add to Cart” button, make it visible immediately when the page loads. Or, if you don’t have one yet, implement a persistent “Checkout” button that’s always clearly visible. 

And of course we can’t forget about CTAs, which require constant optimization.

Fundamentals of CTAs in mobile commerce sales:

• Position primary CTAs in the most accessible thumb zones of the screen
• Use contrasting colors that stand out from your app’s standard color scheme
• Communicate with actionable language that clearly communicates next steps
• Create a visual hierarchy that draws attention to the most important actions
• Implement well-timed animations that highlight key information and interactions
• A/B test different placements and designs to improve performance over time

Provide contextual help in mobile apps when users need it

Confusing forms lead to abandoned carts. Shoppers give up on purchases not just because they changed their minds. Sometimes it’s because you weirded them out with a complicated form or unclear instructions.

Contextual help offers guidance exactly when and where mobile shoppers need it. Delight mobile users with functionalities that prevent errors rather than just reporting them:

• Place clear, concise field labels above input fields (not as placeholders that disappear)
• Show validation in real-time as users type, not after form submission
• Include example text for complex inputs like credit card or phone formats
• Use tooltips that explain unfamiliar terms or requirements 
• Implement smart defaults that reduce user effort wherever possible
• Provide helpful error messages that explain exactly how to fix problems

The best contextual help feels invisible. Users complete forms correctly the first time without even thinking that they’re being guided. This subtle assistance can have many positive effects, like boosting mobile conversion rates and reducing the number of customer service questions you receive.

Find a way to show progress in mobile apps 

When we’re uncertain, we get anxious. It’s the basic human condition. When mobile users can’t see how many steps are left or how far they’ve come in the checkout process, they’re more likely to abandon it.

As journalist Daniel Engber once said, “Progress bars turn the experience of waiting into an exciting narrative unfolding before you.” This psychological effect transforms frustrating waits into manageable, even satisfying experiences.

Sometimes it means a bigger loading bar, other times you just need a tiny animation to indicate progress. Progress indicators in mobile commerce include:

• Skeleton screens that show content structure before data loads
• Step indicators that reveal the entire checkout journey at a glance
• Progress bars that visualize completion percentage during multi-step processes
• Animated loaders that provide feedback during background operations
• Time estimates that set clear expectations for longer processes
• Micro-animations that respond to user actions 

For mobile checkout flows specifically, clearly labeled progress steps (e.g., “Shipping → Payment → Review → Confirmation”) are very helpful. Clarity is a sign of good design, and good design leads to better conversions.

Simplify the mobile transaction process

The checkout process requires a lot of care. Complex, multi-step checkout flows are like kryptonite for eager buyers.

The mobile checkout flow should feel effortless. You want customers to go from “I want this” to “I bought this” in the fewest possible steps.

A well-optimized checkout process includes:

• Single-page checkout designs that eliminate unnecessary progression steps
• Address validation and auto-completion to minimize typing errors
• Persistent cart summaries that maintain visibility of what’s being purchased
• Securely stored payment methods for one-tap completion
• Easy choice of preferred payment method from different options, including mobile wallet payments and buy-now-pay-later
• Guest checkout with the option to create an account after purchase
• Automatic form field detection for credit cards and shipping information
• Clear display of all costs including shipping, taxes, and fees upfront

Summary

By following these mobile commerce best practices, you’ll be better equipped to drive growth, streamline operations, and create lasting value for your customers. Whether you’re refining an existing product or launching something new, the right strategy can make all the difference.

Need help putting it into action? Contact us – we’d love to explore how we can help you build and scale your digital commerce experience.